Batman Beyond:ManBat RIP
by HighNote
Summary: While investigating the vicious attack of a young couple in Gotham Park, Terry finds more than he bargained for. Can Terry, with the help of Bruce find a way to stop the newly-awakened Man-Bat? Rated T for Violence and Language.
1. Chapter 1

**Note! I do own any rights to Batman Beyond. Only this story is mine. If you'd like to see the cover for this issue, then head on over to DC2Universe on proboards and check it out! Also, if you like this issue, feel free to check out part 2 (already up on DC2) as well as the other issues!****

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**Batman Beyond**  
Issue #5: **"Man-Bat R.I.P. pt.1"**  
Written by Cam  
Cover by Mischief  
Edited by KrystaleDragon

***********Gotham Park**

Gotham Park was a normally quite busy place, during the day, at least. At night, however, it became a calm, quiet getaway for any individuals needing some time to themselves…or perhaps, time with someone special. Charles Hanson and Beth Saunders were two such people.

Charles, a brilliant twenty-one-year-old architect was a man of few words. Growing up he had been the quiet kid, the child who sat alone at the lunchroom tables at school, reading his thick stacks of books. Even from a very young age, Charles had found a love and appreciation for such poets as Shakespeare, Poe, and the like. He'd also dabbled in works of philosophy such as Soren Kierkegaard's "Either/Or". It was his appreciation of literature that had gotten him to where he was today. By the age of seventeen he had graduated college and become a professor at Metropolis University, one of the most prestigious learning institutions in the world.

But everything had started here in Gotham, his hometown. That's where, in high school, he met Beth, the only girl to ever see past his quiet, stand-offish nature, to find the kind, caring young man that would steal her heart. She was roughly three years older than Charles, but they shared the same classes since he was so far ahead in school. It started as nothing more than a casual friendship, then, within a year grew into a full-blown romance.

That's why he'd brought her back to Gotham for the weekend. It was in this very park that they had shared their first kiss. He wanted this night to be special.

He reached into his coat pocket casually as they strode arm-in-arm under the starry sky. He felt for the ring to make sure it was still there. This particular ring was very special. It was the ring he'd taken six months to pick out, the ring that he'd painstakingly researched to make sure it was exactly what she would want… the ring he planned to propose to her with tonight.

After feeling the cool diamond brush his fingertips, he pulled his hand back out of his pocket.

It was still there…now if only he could find the words to make this next part easier.

He was beginning to think he'd used too much cologne; he could smell it quite strongly as the wind shifted, he hoped it wasn't bothering Beth.

He stopped suddenly, next to an old oak tree (one of the few left standing in the city).

"What's wrong, hon?" Beth asked.

"N-Nothing." He stuttered. "Say, Beth… Do you remember this tree?" He nodded towards it.

"Of course I do!" She smiled. "This is where we shared our first kiss."

She squeezed his arm tighter and leaned her head on his shoulder.

He swallowed hard, or at least he tried to. Why was his mouth suddenly so dry?

"B-Beth… Th-There's something I want to ask you."

"Yes?"

She looked into his eyes.

He took a small step away from her, got down on one knee and took her hand.  
"Beth, these last few years have been the best of my life and…" He struggled to find the words. What would Shakespeare say?

**"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?  
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:  
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,  
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:  
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shi.."**

"Charles." She spoke softly. "You don't have to quote Shakespeare for me. Just say what you want to say. I want the words to come from you, not someone else."  
"O-Okay." He took a deep breath and started again. "Beth, I love you and, I can't think of anything I'd rather do than spend the rest of my life with you. Will you… marry me?"  
She couldn't help it, tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes.

"Yes! Yes, I will!"

She fell to her knees and threw her arms around his neck.

For a while they sat under the tree, her lying in his arms. No words spoken, none were needed. After awhile he made a call to his lawyer and left a message, telling him to transfer all of his possessions to joint-ownership. It would all be taken care of first thing in the morning as soon as his lawyer got the message. Another hour or so passed.

Then, suddenly, Charles jumped.

"Did you hear that?" he asked.

"Hear what, Hon?"

"Sounded like car just went by…very close."

"But there are no cars around."

"Exactly."

They both got up to take a look around. Beth kept insisting that they leave, but Charles was too curious.

After walking around the entire park, Charles gave up.

"You win, Beth. Let's go…" his eyes widened as he trailed off.

Beth looked at him quizzically. Then, without warning, he shoved her to the ground.

As she hit the ground flat on her back she saw a large bat-like figure fly over her and ram into Charles.

She got to her feet as quickly as she could, screaming at the top of her lungs for help, but there was no one around to hear her. She watched on in horror as the bat-creature tore into her fiancé, blood mixed with bits of flesh spewed into the air.

She screamed, for all the good it did her.

After what seemed like an eternity, the creature halted its attack and flew off into the night.

She ran to his side.

"I'm here, Charlie! Stay with me!" She sobbed.

Blood was everywhere, an exceptionally large pool underneath him. His chest lay open, some of his ribs exposed. But somehow, he was still alive!

He motioned to his right coat pocket. She reached inside and pulled out his phone.

*********

Terry found that flying through the night-sky was just what he needed tonight. Another fight with Dana, getting held back in detention for falling asleep in class and getting an F on a pop-quiz were just a few of the things that had gone wrong today.

_This is just what I need!_ He thought to himself. _No one here but me. No one to say I'm not giving her enough attention. No one to say that I'm a lazy punk who'll be cleaning floors for a living if I don't straiten up; just me and the stars. _

**Terry.** Bruce's voice always did seem to boom in when Terry was trying to gather his thoughts.

"Yeah, Boss?"

**"Get to Gotham Park, now!"**

"Why? What…"

**"Just go. I'll tell you when you get there."**

"Aye, aye, captain sociable."

Bruce didn't bother responding.

***********Gotham Park**

_My God! _Terry thought, examining the blood-splatters on the ground. _So much blood…_.

"Bruce, come in!"

**"Not a pretty sight, is it?"**

"No… it's not…"

The last time Terry had seen this much blood was night of his father's murder. The smell… it made his skin crawl… his head started spinning… he fought back the nausea… he fell down on one knee.

**"Terry! Are you alright?"**

_Yeah, sure! I'm down on one knee, fighting back puke, but I'm fine!_

"Yeah, I'm fine, Bruce."

**"I may be old, but I'm not senile. It's about your father's death, isn't it?"**

_How the hell does he do that!?_

Terry sighed.

"Yeah… Guess I still haven't gotten over it like I thought I had. This smell is getting to me."

**That's understandable. The suit has built-in nose-plugs. Apply pressure to the bridge of your nose to activate them."**

Terry had never been more grateful for anything in his life.

It took a few seconds, even after the plugs were activated, for the smell to leave his nose. But soon enough, he was able to stand up again.

**"You going to be okay?"** Bruce's voice seemed to contain just a bit of compassion for once.

"I'll be fine."

**"Good while the plugs are in, the suit will supply oxygen for you, so you can still breathe through your nose."**

"Thought of everything, didn't you?"

**"Don't I always?"**

"Yeah, and normally, it bugs the hell out of me, but tonight it's fine."

**"Enough small talk. Now that you're back on your feet, it's time to get down to business."**

"Okay. What happened here?"

**"An attack by a giant 'bat-like' creature.**

"Please don't tell me they think I did this!"

**"Relax, one of the victims said that it was definitely not human. And Barbara knows you well enough to know that you wouldn't go around gutting people."**

"Gutting? Well, that explains all the blood."

**"Yes. But, amazingly, he survived."**

"You're kidding. How?"

**"Luck."**

"That's an understatement. So, what do you want me to do?"

**"Look around. Do you see anything unusual?"**

"No, just blood. Lots and lots of blo… wait a sec."

Something in the pool of blood caught his eye. He knelt down to get a closer look.

"Suit, enhance visual receptors by thirty percent."

Closer examination told him that it wasn't anything native to the area. It seemed to be some kind of hair.

"I've got something."

**"I know. I have access to the visual receptors, remember?"**

"Oh…right. I'll bring it back to the cave."

**"No need. Just put it in the front-right slot of your belt. I installed a scanner in it last week. I can get everything I need from here."**

"Good. I'm going to the hospital to talk to the other victim."

**"How do you know she's up to talking? I never said she wasn't injured, too."**

"But you told me the other victim was gutted, if that's true then this isn't quite enough blood for another person to have been hurt, unless I miss my guess."

**"Not bad reasoning. Alright, she's at…"**

"St. Artworth Hospital."

**"…Yes. How did you get that one?"**

"With that much blood-loss they'd take the victim to the nearest hospital, which, from here, is St. Artworth's."

**"Now, you're learning."**

"I know. I'll talk to you after I'm finished with her."

**"Good luck."**

"Don't need it anymore."

**"Don't get cocky."**

"It's just who I am."

***********St. Artworth Hospital**

Terry eased open the ICU window, careful not to make too much noise. Bruce informed him that the doctors had moved the victim, Charles Banson, to Intensive Care. It still didn't look good for him. The doctors still hadn't found a way to stop the bleeding, which was unusual, considering doctors hadn't had trouble with that for years. All the advancements in medicine had given them hundreds of way to clot bleeding with little fuss.

Something was wrong. Something about this attack was different.

_There's no reason the bleeding shouldn't have stopped. That…thing... whatever it is, did something to him._

This man was a teacher, which hit Terry even harder. His father had been a "teacher" of sorts, constantly being called on to give lectures to the new employees at Wayne/Powers.

_Powers…_

That name still stung in the back of his mind.

_Focus McGinnis._ He thought to himself.

He perched himself on the windowsill and leaned his head inside. To the left, a woman was sitting in a chair asleep. Bruce had said her name was Beth, Beth Saunders. Terry could see that her cheeks were red; obviously, she'd cried herself to sleep. Terry hated to wake her, but, there was no way around it.

"Pssst!"

She gave a start, jumping up from her seat. She looked towards the window and her eyes widened.

"Wait, don't scream!" Terry whispered. "I'm here to help you."

Her expression changed from fear to anger.

"I've seen enough bats tonight. Your friend did enough damage!"

"Whatever that thing was, it wasn't my friend. I'm going to stop it, but first, I need you to tell me everything that happened."

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to relive something like that?" She asked, tears streaming from her eyes. "Do you even know what you're asking?"

"Yes. I'm asking you to put yourself through hell, I know that." He pointed at Charles. "But, I also know that, if you really care about the man lying in that bed, you'll help me bring that thing down."

"How will stopping that monster help Charles?"

"There's no reason he should still be bleeding. I think that monster did something to him. If I can stop it, maybe I can find a way to save your fiancé."

"How did you know that? He only just proposed to me a few hours ago!"

"You're wearing an engagement ring."

She looked down at her finger.

"Oh…right." She sighed. "Okay, I'll tell you…everything"

*********

_Nothing that could help me, dammit! I made that woman relive hell for nothing._

His chat with Beth hadn't given him a single clue to go on. Maybe Bruce could help.

"Bruce, come in."

**"What did you learn?"**

"Nothing important, you?"

**"A lot, actually."**

"What did our little friend tell you?"

**"After the analysis, I found out a good bit. The creature's called Man-Bat, but his real name is Dr. Kirk Langstrom."**

"Wait a sec, you're telling me it's human!?"

**"Yes and no. Langstrom put that thing behind him years ago, living a happy life without it. Then one day, out of the blue, he disappeared. I tried looking for him when I had the time, but more pressing things got in the way. I assumed he was dead by now."**

"Well, from what Beth told me, our monster certainly has a pulse."

**"Yes, and Langstrom's DNA has advanced far beyond what it once was. There's only one place that could have done this to him… Cadmus."**

"What's that?"

**"A place that was shut down a long time ago…shortly after Langstrom's disappearance."**

"Think they're tied to it?"

**"Sure of it. Here, I'm feeding the coordinates into your suit. You're going to visit a woman named Amanda Waller."**

***********Home of Amanda Waller**

Terry crept quietly through the dark mansion in the dark. It hadn't taken him long to get inside, knocking out a few guards had cleared the way easily enough. The night-vision function in the cowl had finally come in handy.

Suddenly, the lights came on, blinding him. He shut off the night-vision immediately; still, it took him a moment to regain his vision.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Batman." The short figure called from the doorway. "Or should I call you by your real name…Terry?"

The shock hit Terry like a ton of bricks.

_She knows?! How the hell does she know?!_

His vision finally came back to him and he could finally make out the woman in the doorway. She was short, round and her hair had long-since turned gray. She had bags under her eyes, her age was obvious, yet, the way she carried herself…it was deceiving. Despite her age, she was able to move about without support from a cane.

"Amanda Waller, I presume?" He asked, trying to hide his shock.

"Kid, you've got a lot of ground to cover before you're as effective in stoicism as Bruce." She smiled.

She stepped into the room, taking a cup of tea from a tray near the doorway.

"It's okay though," She continued. "I'd be surprised, too, if I were in your shoes."

"How did you know?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"That's a long story, my boy, and there's no time to go into it now. I presume you're here to talk about the recent attacks, right?"

"Right. Bruce sent me here."

"Bruce thinks Cadmus is back in business, then. Well, he's wrong."

"Do tell."

She breathed a deep sigh.

"All right, kid. Kirk Langstrom was a brilliant scientist, as I'm sure Bruce informed you. He was also a patriot to the core. Years ago, when I was head of Cadmus, we had a contingency plan in place should earth's heroes ever turn rogue."

"Bruce told me about that. You caused the JLU a lot of headaches back in the day. You also nearly brought about the end of the world with that Luthor/Brainiac incident."

"Correct." She went on without missing a beat. "Anyway one of our plans involved gene-splicing. After our Doomsday weapon killed our head scientist in that area, we had to find another; Langstrom was our first choice.

His work was nothing short of brilliant. Within a week he'd far surpassed what had taken Dr. Milo a year to accomplish. Sadly, during that Luthor/Brainiac incident you mentioned, there was an accident in the lab…

Dr. Langstrom was conducting an experiment with his Man-Bat serum, working to create an army of Man-Bat soldiers to combat the League. The Earth shook violently, sending Kirk crashing into his experimental formulas. He disappeared after that, but the government has been keeping tabs on him all these years."

"How does that help me out at all?"

"It doesn't, really. I just thought you should know. The problem is, since he's stuck in Man-Bat form, he's essentially immortal."

"Why? Bats have average lifecycles just like everything else."

"That mix of chemicals restructured his DNA. This Man-Bat evolves. His body is constantly reworking itself to keep itself alive."

"How can we bring him down?"

"Only Bruce can possibly help you there. Nothing short of a nuclear explosion could possibly pierce his hide now."

"You said before that the government has been keeping an eye on him all this time. Why didn't they do anything before now?"

"He was never a threat until now. You may not understand this, but there's a perfectly good reason he's coming out now."

"And that is?"

"It's his last shred of humanity. Kirk is a good man, and wants to be put down while he still maintains even a fraction of control. In short: He wants to die."

***********Outside the home of Amanda Waller **

Terry moved towards the window, bidding his farewells to Amanda as he jetted into the sky.

Before he made it to the edge of the front lawn, something slammed into his back, taking him to the ground, hard. He felt a sudden sting across his shoulders.

"Ahhg!" _Just clawed my shoulders! _

He had to think fast. Another scrape came across his lower back.

_This thing's going to kill me if I don't think of something fast!_

His vision blurred. The pain and blood-loss were getting to him. Just how bad were his wounds bleeding? A thought stabbed at the back of his mind.

_That's it! _He thought, triumphantly.

He activated the suits newest feature, sending an electric current through the suit.

He heard the monster shriek in pain. The sound nearly deafened him.

Without another attempt at attack, Man-Bat flew away.

Amanda Waller stood by him now, holding out a small vial with a green liquid inside.

"What's this." He asked in a ragged, gruff voice.

"Just drink it, those wounds look pretty bad."

He jerked the vial out of her hand and downed its contents. Within seconds he was back on his feet, no sign of pain.

"What is that stuff?"

"A very very light dose of Lazarus liquid. Just enough to heal wounds."

"Gotcha… whatever Lazarus liquid is…."

"Just ask Bruce sometime."

"Moving on. Why did that thing attack me? And how the hell did it know where I was?"

"He wants you to put him out of his misery."

"If that's the case, why did he try to kill me?"

"He has barely any control, but trust me, if he weren't in there at all, you wouldn't be alive."

"That's comforting." Terry replied, sarcastically.

"He's going to keep attacking innocents--And you as well--until you bring him down."

"Couldn't your Cadmus people have come up with an antidote?"

"They tried, it was no good. The only person who could possibly find a cure now is Bruce."

"Fine, I'll talk to him. Just get back inside your house, where it's safe."

"Don't worry about me kid, I'll be fine. It's yourself that you need to worry about."

*********

As soon as Terry left Waller's property, Bruce called in.

**What did you learn from Waller?**

"I learned that, apparently, you're our only hope. Nothing short of a nuke can pierce his skin now, but, somehow, we have to find a way to give him some kind of antidote; an antidote, by the way, that you'll have to come up with…soon."

**No pressure, right?**

"Oh, and you'll love this part; he evolves now, builds a resistance to things harmful to him."

**Hold on… **There was silence, then Bruce spoke again. **Looks like another attack. This time, it's downtown.**

"I'm on my way."

**No, you're not! **

"Why?"

**There's no way you'll stand a chance against him.**

"I just fought him not ten minutes ago and I'm still kicking."

**You're lucky. If he can adapt like you say he can, then he'll be resistant to whatever you used to fight him off before.**

"I'll think of something. Innocent people are in danger."

**You're no good to them dead.**

"Then we'd better hope I don't die."

_I can't let myself die! I promised Beth I'd find a way to save her fiancé, and I can't do that if I'm dead. There you go, motivation…let's just hope that's enough…_

_**To Be Continued…**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, so, I'm sitting here, checking the status of of my stories and I remembered I'd only posted the first half of this. My original plan was to get people to read the first part, which would hopefully get them to read the other half, along with teh rest of the series on DC2. Well, I've decided that that was unfair. Of all the stories I've written so far, I think this one is the best (just goes to show you how much of an amature I am lol) and I want to share it with everyone. Hope you guys enjoy the second half of Man-Bat R.I.P. as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

* * *

Downtown Gotham was never a pleasant place to be after dark, but tonight, with a giant, humanoid bat tearing through the streets, things were even worse than usual.

_Okay, I've got three people dead already. _Terry thought as he flew over the sight, looking things over. _Gotta think this through, or I'll…_

Man-Bat bounded towards a small child, frozen in place with fear.

_Dammit! No time to think. Gotta act!_

Terry shot towards Man-Bat, as fast as the suit could carry him.

The creature stepped closer and closer, not in any real hurry. It pulled back one of its long, winged claws, ready to strike.

"Hey ugly!" Terry shouted.

Man-Bat turned to see Batman flying strait toward him, fists-first.

Terry slammed into him before he could react.

_God! _Terry thought as pain shot through his arms. _There's no fat on this thing. Crap, I think my arms are going numb!_

The hit sent them both rolling to the ground together. Terry finally landed on top of his enemy, and, thinking fast, he activated the suits electric pulse again.

The creature flinched briefly, then, grabbed Terry by the head, hurling him like a rag-doll. He landed roughly against a building, leaving cracks in the wall.

There were still civilians in the area, screaming, running, some frozen, afraid to move.

Terry's vision blurred. He felt a large claw wrap around his throat, Man-Bat's hot breath could be felt even through the mask.

He looked at the people still standing in the street.

"R-Run!" He gurgled.

His vision was just clear enough to see the last of them run away, followed by the monster raising its other claw above its head, preparing to deliver the final blow.

_So, this is it, huh? Guess everybody has their time… just didn't think mine would be now…_

He closed his eyes.

_Don't really want to see it coming…_

He waited…and waited, but the blow never came.

He opened his eyes. Man-bat was still there, but something was different. It looked like the creature was debating about what to do. Almost as if…

"Dr. Langstrom, if you can hear me, fight it! Don't let this thing beat you. Give me a chance to help you." Terry said in a hoarse whisper.

For a moment, nothing happened, then, Terry felt the claw release his throat.

"Good job, Doctor. Now…"

The creature threw its wing back, sending Terry flying.

By the time he recovered from the fall, Man-Bat was gone.

_Damn!_

_

* * *

_

"So, he just let you go?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah. That proves it; there's still a bit of Kirk Langstrom in that thing."

"Yes, but that was probably the last of it. I wouldn't count on it again."

"Wasn't planning on it, boss."

"And Waller thinks I'm the only one who can come up with an antidote for Kangstrom as well, huh?"

"Right. What, is that a problem?"

"We'll see. Oh, and about that lazerus liquid you took…"

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Don't ever take it again. You don't know it like I do. It's nothing but trouble."

"Another blast from the past?"

"Yes."

"Fine" Terry sighed. "I can see I'm not gonna get anything else out of you right now."

"Now you're learning." Bruce smiled.

"Why is it that, every time you smile, it creeps me out?"

"I don't know. That's your problem, not mine."

"Well, I'd better go and check on our happy couple at the hospital." Terry slipped his mask back on.

"Don't you have school?"

"Ah, Damn it! I totally lost track of time!" He looked at the suit's wrist-watch. "Great! I'm gonna be late, and I haven't even gotten any sleep! He pulled the mask back off. "At least I've got a few hours of daylight before Man-bat hits again. Plenty of time for you to come up with an antidote."

"Don't think he won't attack during the day. Normal bats may only come out at night, but he's no normal bat. And now he has your scent, so-to-speak; he can find you anywhere, if he wants."

"Well then, what do you expect me to do?"

"Do what you normally would, aside from going home. Just be ready to fight him off at any time. It should be harder for him to find you at school since there are so many people in one cramped place."

"Guess I don't have much choice, do I?"

"Not really."

"Then I guess I'll just check on Beth and Charles after school."

"On a first-name basis, are we?"

"Something wrong with that?"

"Never get too close to a victim or suspect. It clouds your judgment, makes you sloppy."

"Whatever." Terry said, turning away. "I gotta go."

* * *

Terry sat at the lunch table closest to the window across from Max, with Dana sitting to his right. Lunch had just started, so they had plenty of time to kill.

"So, Ter," Dana said, taking a bite of food. "You never told me why you ran off last week while we were at the club."

_Not again!_ He thought.

"I ummm…."

"Relax, Ter, I'll tell her." Max interjected. "Y'see, Dana, Terry's been wanting to do something special for you for awhile. He knows how much you love slow-dancing, but he didn't know how… We'd made plans for me to give him lessons last week but he forgot until the last minute…sorry if it ruined the date for you guys."

Dana's expression softened as she turned to Terry.

"Is that true, Terry?"

_I owe you one, Max._

"I wanted it to be a surprise, babe." He said with a smile.

"Aww." She threw her arms around his neck and roughly pressed her lips against his.

Finally, she broke the kiss.

"Whoops, I almost forgot." She said quickly. "I'm leaving early today. My mom and dad want me to go on a trip with them for the weekend." She got up from her seat. "Call you when I get back." She smiled, then turned and walked away.

"Talk about a close call, McGinnis!" Max laughed.

"Yeah. And thanks for saving my ass back there,Max. Didn't know how I was gonna get out of that one."

"Well, it's only a temporary fix. Now she's going to expect you to give her a slow-dance soon."

"Damn," He said, hitting his forehead. "You're right." He thought for a second. "Hey, Max, you think you really could teach me?"

Her eyes widened.

"You really want to?"

"Hell no! But unless I do, Dana will get suspicious. Please, Max?"

"Alright." She sighed. "Guess I don't have much of a choice."

He smiled.

"Thanks, Max."

He looked down at his food. Nothing pleasant today, just the usual slop. He looked back up and his eyes widened.

Without hesitation he dove across the table, dragging Max to the floor.

An instant later the window shattered as Man-Bat crashed through it, flying at the level Terry and Max had been at just moments before.

The students and lunch-workers scattered in a panic, screaming to the top of their lungs.

The noise didn't make things any better. Man-Bat roared loudly, as if trying to shut them up. It didn't work. The screams became louder as the panic grew. Some of the students bolted for the door only to be cut off by the huge creature before they could escape.

Terry stayed on the ground, hoping he wouldn't be notice for just a bit longer.

"Terry. What the hell is that thing doing here?" Max asked, trying to hear herself above the screaming.

"Bruce was right, it has my scent now! I didn't think it could find me here, but I was wrong."

Terry reached instinctively to his back, then, realized his backpack wasn't there.

_Dammit! I left it in my locker before I came to lunch. _

"Terry, the thing's going after Nelson!" Max said in a panic.

Terry looked up to see Nash on the ground begging for mercy at the monster's feet.

_As beautiful as this is, I can't let Nelson get killed._

Terry scanned the room, looking for something—anything—that he could use to his advantage. The kitchen caught his attention.

_That's it!_ He thought.

"Max! I need you to distract him long enough for me to get back into the kitchen, can you do that?"

"You got it."

She got up, grabbed a lunch-tray and threw it at Man-Bat as Terry crawled towards the kitchen.

It only took Terry a second to find what he needed. He grabbed the nearest container of cooking oil, poured it all in a small pot and zapped it in the instant-fryer.

The oil was steaming.

_Perfect!_

He heard Max scream and moved quickly back to the lunchroom. The other screams had died down and only Max was left in the room, Man-Bat closing in on her in the corner. Blood covering her hand as she clenched her stomach.

_Max! Hang on, I'm coming!_

He was close enough now.

"Over here, ugly!" He yelled grabbing, the creature's attention.

He hurled the oil in its face. It howled in pain, lashing out blindly at him. He didn't worry, the swipes missed him by a mile; his worry was focused on Max, now lying on the floor.

He dove under the next swipe, stopping next to her.

He felt for a pulse, it was faint, but there. Blood still poured from the wound in her stomach.

The smell made him queasy. His vision blurred.

_No! Don't pass out, idiot! Pull it together and get Max out of here, Damn you!_

He steadied himself, taking a deep breath, only this time, the smell didn't seem as bad.

_That's it. Stay calm._

He ripped off the arm of his jacket and tied it around her stomach so slow the bleeding.

He took one last look back at Man-Bat to make sure he was still distracted. He was, but it wouldn't be much longer before he recovered.

"Let's go, Max" He said, picking her in his arms.

"T-Terry." She said weakly. "I'm…scared."

A tear escaped her eye.

"Don't be, Max." He replied, breaking for the door. "You're going to be fine."

* * *

It didn't take long for the ambulance and the police to get to the school. Max was rushed to Gotham General for immediate medical attention. The police ran in to detain the creature, but it was gone when they go there.

Dana hadn't had time to leave the building before the attack. She rushed to Terry, making sure he was okay. She noticed a cut on his forehead that he didn't even notice. He figured it was from a piece of glass when the window shattered.

"Terry, she'll be fine." She said softly, stroking his cheek.

Terry wasn't so sure.

"Dana… No one stayed to help her… hey all left her there to take that thing on alone!" He said through clenched teeth.

He wanted to blame Man-Bat, he wanted to be able to take out his frustrations on him, but he knew the truth…the fault lied with the people who'd left her…and also with him for asking her to get involved.

"They were scared Terry. You can't blame them for…"

"Like hell, I can't! It's their fault for leaving her and my fault for getting her into it in the first place!"

He wanted to lash out, to hit something, maybe one of the people who left. But with no one around, he did the only thing he could… he fell to his knees and screamed as loud as he could.

"**AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"**

"Terry, it's okay." Dana said, kneeling beside him. "Just let it out."

She placed a hand on his shoulder, he didn't move a muscle. She gently embraced him. His chest was covered in blood but she didn't care, right now, he needed her.

"Dana… I don't expect you to understand but… I have to go…"

"Okay." She said gently. "Just be careful, alright?"

"I promise." He said giving her a kiss on the forehead.

After making a brief stop inside the school to grab his backpack, he left for the cave.

* * *

"That's not good enough." Terry shouted at Bruce. "That bastard doesn't deserve to live, not after what he just did."

"He's not in control Terry." Bruce's tone remained level, despite terry's outburst. "He only wants to be free of that curse once and for all."

"Oh, I'll free him all right. I'll send him strait to hell for what he did."

"You're acting as if Max is dead, Terry!" Bruce raised his voice slightly. "Calm down and think this through!"

"He's a mad dog, Bruce. There's no time to wait on you to find a cure. Let me do what I have to do."

"I wasn't aware that Warren McGinnis raised a murderer."

Terry froze, not really sure what to say. Bruce took advantage of Terry's pause.

"I never told you this, but, I met your father once or twice, Terry. Just from the few times we spoke, I could tell he was a good man, much too good a man to die the way he did. All the times Powers wronged him, he never once sought vengeance of any kind. What would he say if he saw you like this?"

Moments passed that seemed like hours.

Bruce was right, if he turned into a murderer, he'd be shaming his father's memory, and that was something, he just couldn't take.

"You're right." He said quietly. "My father always believed there was good in everyone. Who am I to argue with him?"

Terry saw it for the first time; how much Bruce and his father had in common. They both knew just what to do and what to say. And even when they were at their most infuriating, you couldn't help but hold them in the respect.

"What are we going to do, Bruce?"

"I've got an antidote that should work. But it won't reach its potency before nightfall."

"Alright. I've got to pay a visit to the hospital before that."

"No you don't… Charles died this morning, Terry. I'm sorry."

_I…failed? _

"But… I didn't get the chance to try and help him," Terry managed.

"You did your best."

"So, that monster's destroyed another life?!"

"No. It was nothing that Man-Bat did. Barbara was suspicious, so she sent me a sample of Charles' blood. He was being poisoned by one of the nurses."

"Why?" Terry asked in shock.

"Barbara cornered Charles's primary nurse after I got the results and she confessed to being paid by Beth to administer the poison in the I.V.. No one thought to check him for poisons after he stabilized."

"But…Beth loved him."

"That's something else troubling. They found Beth's body in a broom-closet on the third floor."

"She couldn't bear the weight of what she'd done, I guess."

"That's what it looks like, but I don't buy it."

"Why not?"

"Don't you find it suspicious that this happened at the same time as Langstrom's appearance? I don't believe in coincidence."

"So, what can we do about it?"

"Nothing. We wait for nightfall, then, you hit Kirk with the antidote and pray it works."

* * *

It was an hour after nightfall. The rain had just begun to start.

_I've been waiting here for almost an hour. Where the hell is he?_

After leaving the cave, Terry stopped by the hospital to check on Max. Her condition was stable, and the doctors expected her to make a full recovery within the next day or two. Still, Terry was angry about what had happened, but now, he knew to blame, or rather, he knew who not to blame.

_Guess Langstrom isn't the real problem. I swear, Max, Charlie…even Beth… I won't rest until I find out who's responsible._

It was a promise he intended to keep, no mater what.

Another hour passed. The light drizzle turned into pouring rain as Terry sat perched on top of the radio tower on the edge of the city.

He'd picked this spot because there were no civilians nearby; enough people had been hurt in this mess, and that was enough. He'd worried that the rain would make it harder for Man-Bat to track him down like he wanted, but Bruce had a solution for that; he gave Terry instructions to set the signals from the tower to certain pulses, sending a message letting Man-Bat know exactly where he was. Of course, this signal also meant he wouldn't be able to contact Bruce, but there was no other way. No more running, no more hiding; it all ended here, tonight.

_Shouldn't have to wait too much longer. Good thing I stopped by Waller's before coming here; a little more lazerus liquid couldn't hurt…just in case._

There was no warning before the first hit. He felt the blow connect across his back, sending him flying off the tower, down to the ground below.

_Ouch! That hurt you bastard!_

He could hear the creature's giant, leather wings pounding against the wind and rain as it followed after him.

_Gotta time this just right!_

The sound grew louder as the ground grew closer.

_Now!_

He fired the jets and arched his back. A loud roar followed; his hunch had been right. Man-Bat's face had been just close enough to get his face fried by the jets as they fired.

_That's it! Now for step two._

He blasted eight batarangs at the monster while it was blinded, all of them bounced off his skin.

_Damn! His skin really is tough._

By now the creature's pain had ceased. It turned its attention towards Terry, launching toward him at break-neck speed.

_Oh s%&*. _He thought.

The blow came fast and hard, knocking the wind out of Terry. He could feel the wind against his back as the creature pushed him through the air, then, suddenly, the wind was replaced by a sharp pain shooting down his spine as he was pinned against the tower.

He looked down, he was about twenty feet from the ground now. A fall from here wouldn't kill him…he hoped.

_Okay. Now's as good a time as any._

He struggled to reach his belt, as the monster continued to try and crush him against the tower; finally, he managed to reach the button on his belt he was looking for. It emitted a high-pitched frequency, only heard by bats' senses. The creature howled and loosed it grip on Terry letting him fall to the ground.

_Okay, that won't last long and I'm all out of tricks….. Dammit dammit dammit!_

The signal's charge ran out just then.

_Here it comes._

He pulled out the serum-gun, waiting for his opponent to make his move.

He didn't have to wait long. The creature rammed into him, knocking him to the ground, sending the antidote flying from Terry's grasp.

"No!" He yelled.

He tried reaching his arms back to grab it, but Man-Bat pinned them down with one of his wings. He raised another claw in the air, preparing to deliver the final blow.

_I failed… I couldn't beat him… I just couldn't…_

Terry could feel it; the end was coming.

Suddenly, something jetted above Terry through the air. The object pinned Man-Bat's wing against the tower. Ten more followed, each one landing in the bulk of the wing.

_Of course! The wings are a soft spot! Wait a sec, what the hell am I doing?! This is my chance… let's hope he still feels this…._

While the creature roared in pain and tried to free its wing, Terry jutted his knee as hard as he could into its groin. The monster's eyes watered as it continued to roar in agony. He released his grip on Terry's arms, allowing him to slip free and grab the gun.

_Okay, even though the wings are a soft spot, I can't inject him there…. Bruce said it wouldn't work… so where can I…. Oh crap…_

He ran over Man-Bat before he could recover.

"I'm sorry about this, doc." He said.

He injected the serum directly into the creature's groin, earning him yet another ear-shattering roar.

The serum worked almost immediately, returning the doctor to his human form.

He was very old. It seemed he was only kept alive by his bat-form and now that it was gone, he would return to his normal age.

His skin was still pierced by the arrows. Terry jerked them out, then, held the old man in his arms.

"Th-Thank you." Langstrom said.

Those were to be his last words.

* * *

Back at the cave, Terry told Bruce the whole story.

"So, you couldn't see who shot the arrows."

"No. When I looked up, there was no one there. All I know is, they were green."

Bruce smiled.

"What?" Terry asked. "Someone you know?"

"Maybe. We'll find out in time."

"Whatever."

"The point is, this mission is over and…you did well, Terry. Langstrom can finally have peace."

"Yeah…At least there's that" Terry said, smiling. "Well, I gotta go. My mom wants me home early tonight. Wants me to watch the little dweep while she goes out for something."

"Alright. We'll look into the deaths of Beth Saunders and Charles Hanson starting tomorrow. Good night, Terry."

"Night."

_A quick compliment and then back to business. _Terry thought as he walked away. _Just like dad…just like dad…_

_**The End**_


End file.
